


Stimmy Shopping

by DianaandAlicia



Series: SPD Stories [3]
Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Althea has a sensory processing disorder, F/F, Hand Flapping, Healthy Relationships, Stim Toys, Stimming, picky eating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 00:09:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17693825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DianaandAlicia/pseuds/DianaandAlicia
Summary: A shopping trip allows two new stim toys to be welcomed into the house.





	Stimmy Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all! I'm back! 
> 
> Again, this is a story where Al has a sensory processing disorder and while the events in this story haven't specifically happened to me, I decided to write it because I wanted to include some of the stims that I do and some of the stim toys that I use to help me with my everyday life.
> 
> I ask for everyone to be understanding and nice about the topics in this writing, because there will never be any stim or comfort object shaming on this account or in the comments. If something specific helps someone cope, they should be able to use it without fear of judgement.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story!

It was a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles and Alicia was at the grocery store with her girlfriend Althea. Alicia was pushing the cart and Al was helping by getting the items off the shelves as she read them from the list.  

The girls were almost done, getting everything on the list. They were currently in the snack aisle getting the last of their items.  

"Al you have to pick one." Alicia said calmly.   

"Can't we get both?"  

"No. We either get one or none.” She said firmly.   

"But it's hard to pick." Al sighed, hoping that Alicia would let her get both.  

The snacks in question were a package of Oreos and a package of Chips Ahoy cookies. Alicia quietly drummed her fingers against the handle bar on the cart, hoping Al would make her decision.  

“Althie, I'm going to count to five. If you don't have one in the cart by the time I get there, we aren't getting any. Do I make myself clear?"  

Al didn't answer, her eyes darted back and forth between the cookies and her girlfriend. All of a sudden, something else caught her eye and she walked away from the cookies all together.  

Alicia turned to see what her girlfriend was looking at and smiled lovingly at Al when she saw what it was. Her girlfriend had walked across the aisle and over into the baby section. Al was standing by shelves of teething toys, looking at a pair of teething keys.  

"Do you want the keys Baby?" Alicia asked, pushing the cart over by Al.   

Al was holding the set of keys in her right hand but she was also looking at a pacifier, one that had bumps all over the nipple, making it look like a raspberry. The pacifier was for teething babies but Alicia knew that Al saw the texture as one ideal for stimming.   

Althea had many different stim toys and objects around the house and in her possession. A majority of the objects were for children, like the puzzles made for toddlers, stuffed animals and colorful stacking doughnuts. Those objects, along with more "grown up" ones like slime, fidget spinners, cubes and tangles were all over the house. Alicia knew however, that even if they weren't marketed for those in Al's age group, some of the "baby" toys were the ones that helped her the most with her stimming.  

Alicia made sure that there was no shaming in their house, whether it was comfort objects or stim toys. Whatever helped Al was welcomed in with open arms and never shoved to the side or looked down upon.  

Althea now had the keys in her left hand, and the raspberry teether in her right hand.  

"Can I get these?" She asked sweetly, even though she knew Alicia probably wouldn't say no.  

"You know the rules. Before I buy you a new stim toy, I have to know what you're going to use it for."  

"The keys are for my chewing. Like my necklaces, but they're keys."  

Alicia nodded and held out her hand. Al placed the package in her hand and Alicia looked over the back of the package. When she was done, she tossed the keys into the cart.  

"And that?" She asked, nodding towards the teether.  

"I know I have my chewies at home, and now my keys, but sometimes I wish they made stim toys just for sucking and not chewing. And the raspberry one has textures."  

"Can I see it?" Alicia asked, holding out her hand again.  

After reading the information on the back, Alicia tossed the package in the cart.  

"Thank you Alicia!" Al cheered, giving her girlfriend a hug.  

"I need you to understand something though. That’s a baby teether. It’s made for babies and babies have little mouths. I’ll let you use it for stimming, but if your mouth starts to feel sore, I want you to stop. Do you understand me?” 

"Yes Alicia."  

“I know it’s a teether, but this is for sucking only. If you need to do your chewing and biting stims, you have toys made specifically for that ok? I don’t want your teeth to shred the nipple and for you to choke on loose pieces.”  

Al nodded in understanding and Alicia kissed her on the cheek.  

"Do we have everything? Or is there anything else you need?"  

Al shook her head and the two went to the front of the store to the checkouts.  

The ride home was happy and fun, with Alicia driving and Al sitting in the passenger seat, flapping her hands and looking out the window. 

Alicia smiled, cherishing these moments. She loved that Al felt comfortable enough to stim around her. The first two years of their relationship, Al never did any stimming around Alicia, afraid that she would get judged.   

After the two moved in together, Al's stimming got harder to hide, so after Alicia learned that Al had sensory issues and that she was ridiculed by her brother most of her life, she decided to make their house a stim positive household.   

When Althea is allowed to stim, everything is better for everyone. Al is able to get all of her excess energy out on her terms, and when that happens, everyone is happy.  

When the two got home, they unloaded the groceries and Al hovered around the kitchen while Alicia put the last of the food away.  

"My goodness Althie. You're like a little bumble bee buzzing over a field of flowers."  

"Can we boil my teether and keys?" Al asked hopefully, bouncing up and down in place.  

"We are going to eat lunch first. Then while I boil your stim toys, you can go upstairs and do something until I bring them up."  

"But I want them now." Al complained, stomping her foot.  

"Really? Because it sounds like you want to go take a nap after lunch instead." Alicia said sternly. One thing that she really hates is when Al is a brat and she will not allow it.  

"Noooo." Althea whined, stomping her feet multiple times, tears welling up. She didn’t want a nap, but at the same time, she also didn’t want to wait for her stim toys. She wanted them now. 

"Althea. No.” Was all Alicia said, her voice hard.  

"Go sit at the table and I'll bring in lunch. Now."  

Al scurried over to the table without another word. She knew that if she kept badgering Alicia, her girlfriend would make her take a nap, or worse, withhold the new stim toys on purpose for a day or two. 

After ten minutes of quietly sitting at the table, Alicia brought in some water glasses and put them in the appropriate places. She left and quickly returned holding two plates. She set those down and Al looked at what she made.  

On her plate was a grilled cheese sandwich, with the crusts cut off, seven baby carrots with a bit of ranch to the side. Alicia's plate had the same thing, except she had celery instead of carrots. Althea hated celery and refused to eat it so she had to go with the carrots instead. Alicia also kept the crust on her sandwich because it didn't bother her.  

Al was a picky eater, and most of her reasons for being a picky eater had to do more with texture than taste, though taste is a deciding factor in some foods.  

“Alicia?"  

"Yes?"   

"I'm sorry about being a brat earlier."  

"I accept your apology. Are you enjoying your food?"  

"Yes. It's good. Thanks for making it."  

"You're very welcome Sweetheart."  

When Al was done eating, she took her plate to the sink and went to up to the bedroom. When Alicia finished her food, she put her plate in the sink and started a pot of water to boil, opening the keys and teether so she could clean them.  

While Alicia was doing that, Al was sitting on the floor of the bedroom with her stacking doughnut, dropping the doughnuts biggest to smallest, listening to the clacking of the wooden pieces hitting each other. This stacking doughnut was special to Al, because it was homemade instead of a store-bought plastic one. 

Since Alicia and Nick’s father was a carpenter before he passed away, he had taught Nick how to make some things out of wood when he was younger. As a project to help himself focus on staying clean, Nick made Althea a stacking doughnut, painting it vibrant colors with wild patterns that aren’t on normal everyday plastic stacking doughnuts. This was Al’s favorite stim toy and she treasured it dearly. Not only was it made from the heart, but Althea felt loved thinking about how Nick took the time to understand her and her stims, and then made a stim toy for her to use. Nick acted more like a big brother to her than her actual older brother did. 

After a while, Alicia came up to the playroom with the new stim toys. Al had moved on from the stacking doughnut by this time and was sitting on the floor, flapping her hands and staring straight ahead.  

"Alright Angel, which one do you want to try out first?"  

"Raspberry." Al said quietly, flapping her hands close to her face, a signal that she was stimming due to happiness and excitement.  

Alicia nodded and sat down on the floor next to her girlfriend. She grabbed the teether and quietly pushed it against Al's lips until the brunette opened her mouth to let the stim toy go in.  

After the teether was in Al's mouth, Alicia watched with a smile on her face when the expression Al showed was one of complete and utter joy.  

"Is that a good texture Sweetie?” she asked, to make sure that Al was enjoying herself.  

Althea only nodded and smiled, letting her tongue run along the bumpy ridges on the nipple of the teether. The sensation was new and glorious and this beat thumb sucking or her chewy necklaces any day.  

"Alicia?"  

"Yes Love?"  

"Thank you." Was all Al said, resting her head against her girlfriend’s shoulder.  

"Oh, my love, you're very welcome." Alicia responded, knowing that Al was thanking her for more than the new stim toys. She was thanking her for being understanding. For allowing her to stim without judgement. For letting her be herself and accepting everything that came with it.  

"Can we take a nap?" Al eventually asked, her words slightly muffled by the teether.  

"Sure." Alicia agreed, knowing that they both could use some extra sleep.  

The two got up from the floor and went over to the bed in the corner, snuggling up under the covers.  

"Alicia?"  

"Hmmm?"  

"I love you."  

"I love you too.” She responded, smiling at Al, watching her girlfriend shut her eyes. The two shifted so they were closer to each other and it wasn't long until they both fell asleep. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it!


End file.
